Better than Ever Bolognese
by Missy Chase Lapine
Trick any distrustful child with this traditional meat sauce for pasta or lasagna, doctored up with seven sneaky veggies, whole grains, and calcium. And forget simmering for three hours—this sauce tastes just great after just thirty minutes. To make it ultra lean, use ground turkey breast.
3⁄4 cup Green Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe Below)
Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or earthenware pot. Add the onions and cook until they are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes; add the carrot and celery (if using) and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the turkey bacon and beef (or turkey), stirring to break it up, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the meat is no longer red. Stir in the garlic, Green or Orange Puree, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, evaporated milk, oat bran, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
To serve, add cooked pasta of any shape to the pot of sauce and toss to coat every piece well. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Green Puree Make-Ahead Recipe
1 cup sweet green peas, frozen
2 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard greens)
2 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2 to 3 tablespoons water
If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if the package says “prewashed.” Using a vegetable steamer, steam broccoli in 2 inches of water in a tightly covered pot for about 10 minutes until very tender. Add the frozen peas and raw or frozen spinach (or collards) to the steamer basket for the last five minutes of steaming.
Alternatively, place broccoli, spinach (or collards) in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.
Once cooked, drain the broccoli, spinach, and peas and place them in the bowl of your food processor along with 2 tablespoons of water. Puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, add the third tablespoon of water to make a smoother puree.
Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double this recipe if you want to store an extra cup. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4> cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
Missy Chase Lapine is the former publisher of Eating Well magazine. A mother of two young daughters, she knows how picky kids can be—and she’s got the kitchen experiments to prove it! She is on the Culinary Arts facility of The New School, in New York City, and also gives cooking classes and coaching to busy families hoping to learn how to eat healthier. Her book, The Sneaky Chef, is published by Running Press. Her next book The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen) will be out in April 2008. You can learn more about Missy at her website, www.thesneakychef.com
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